insideKENT Magazine Issue 31 - October 2014 | Page 92
NIGHTSOUT
A BRIEF HISTORY OF
Canterbury Ghost Tours
DIRECTED BY AUTHOR AND GHOST HISTORIAN, JOHN HIPPISLEY, CANTERBURY
GHOST TOURS HAS BEEN CONDUCTING ITS FABULOUS GUIDED WALKS IN THE
COLOURFUL CITY OF CANTERBURY SINCE 1995.
Recognised as Kent's premier award-winning
ghost hunter, John has maintained a strong
interest and belief in the supernatural world ever
since he witnessed a recently departed school
friend standing over him whilst in bed at public
school in the late 1970s.
Since this teenage happenstance, he has
had many supernatural encounters, most recently
whilst attending the Big Brother auditions in
Borehamwood, Herts.
On this particular day, John had arrived
early and parked in a nearby leisure centre car
park. Upon arrival, he had noticed a little girl
stood alone; her head was bowed and it looked
like she was crying. As he approached her, he
felt a strong feeling of coldness, but proceeded.
Closer still, the little girl looked at him as if she
could see right through him.
Unperturbed, John approached, only to
hear the little girl announce: “My mummy and
daddy love me very much.” An odd thing to say
out of the blue, he replied: “That is all well and
good, but you should be with them and not
standing alone in a busy car park. Where are
your parents?”
The little girl looked at him with a pointed
stare and directed her finger towards the leisure
centre entrance. John turned to see two adults
and a small child in a pushchair; the child was
screaming, and the parents looked frazzled.
“I am John Hippisley. You have nothing to
fear from me, I will take you over to your parents,”
John reassured the girl, to which she replied,
“thank you”, and politely reached out her hand.
As he grabbed it, he noticed it was icy cold,
despite it being a relatively sunny day in May.
John walked slowly towards the parents,
before exclaiming: “Your daughter tells me that
you love her very much, yet you have a funny
way of showing it leaving her in a car park alone!”
The mother looked shocked, “Did you say
our daughter?”
“Yes,” replied John quizzically
“Our daughter died five years ago on this
very day. Are you sure you mean our daughter?”
“I am awfully sorry, I had no idea she was
deceased. She is here with me now,” John said,
as he looked down at the tear-filled little girl
beside him. “Don’t cry little one, your mother
knows you are here, as does your brother.”
The girl walked forward and tried to hold
her mother’s hand, but could not grasp it; instead,
she reached and stroked the hair of her brother.
John could see the brother’s hair was being
ruffled, but by now had realised that she could
not be seen by her parents.
Shocked by the reaction, he was about to
back off when the mother said: “She died chasing
butterflies from her room. She was standing on
a chair and reaching out of the window when
she fell!”
“I am sorry. I did not mean to cause any
distress,” replied John, “she told me that she
likes the new wallpaper in her old room.” At this,
the mother cried out and the husband – who had
remained motionless throughout, as if
unimpressed by John’s intrusion – put his arm
around her. John turned and left, making his way
to the auditions.
John can’t guarantee you will see a little girl
on one of his popular Canterbury Ghost Tours –
which start at 8pm every Friday and Saturday
night outside Alberrys Wine Bar in St Margaret’s
Street – but he can assure you that you’ll have
lots of fun, with plenty of interaction and fascinating
stories along the way.
The tour itself only covers a few streets and
is therefore not a very long walk, but as John
always explains, ‘he’s built for comfort, not for
speed.’ It is, however, conducted on the most
haunted streets in the city, with a rich history that
spans over the millennia.
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From the tale of the couple who had a
tempestuous relationship that ended in double
tragedy to the students who played with a Ouija
board in the same location only to regret it, this
event really is one of a kind. The tour also covers
the problem Canterbury folk suffered during the
English Civil War, along with the witchcraft acts
enacted by Mathew Hopkins (as witch finder
general) during that period.
If you are into history, humour and haunting,
then this is the perfect tour for you. It’s on all
year round and conducted in all weathers. As
John is keen to point out, ‘rain goes right through
a ghost’, so wrap up warm and bring a brolly,
for the Ghost Hunter awaits.
For more information, call 0845 519 0267,
visit www.canterburyghosttour.com or
email the ghost hunter on
[email protected].
Alternatively, you can just materialise outside
of Alberrys Wine Bar at 8pm on any Friday
or Saturday night.
Tickets
Adults £10
Children £8.50
Concessions £9.50
Family (two adults and up to three children) £30